Australian police have stepped up patrols of Jewish and Islamic sites, fearing racial tensions over the conflict in the Middle East had triggered an attack on a synagogue Sunday night.
Witnesses told police they saw a group of "Middle Eastern men" laughing and running down the street shortly after the synagogue in Parramatta, western Sydney was stoned late Sunday.
Blocks of concrete were also thrown at two cars parked on the property, smashing windows.
"With the heightened political and racial tensions, police are aware that these things may occur," Acting Inspector Col Green told reporters.
"We have put in place strategies to prevent that and to investigate the incidents that do occur."
'A great shame'
The local rabbi said he feared the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, which has killed hundreds of civilians, may have prompted the attack.
"It's a great shame to bring that conflict to here," said Rabbi Wernick, who refused to give his first name.
"It is always in the back of your mind, but on the one hand you don't really think that something that is happening in Lebanon will effect a synagogue in Parramatta," he told reporters.
He said he was considering stepping up security at his home next door to the synagogue.
"In a political climate, every organization is taking precautions," he said.
The attack came a day after Middle Eastern protesters carrying Lebanese and Palestinian flags surrounded Prime Minister John Howard's car during an official engagement in the western city of Perth.
Protesters, who scuffled with police during the demonstration Saturday, said the government was not doing enough to broker peace in the region.
More than 160,000 Australians claim Lebanese ancestry. Some 25,000 dual Australian-Lebanese nationals live in Lebanon.